Daily Yellowstone journal., 1887-08-24
FORGIVENESS.


She had been brought up in one Of those
families that live shut up In themselves-
and that always seem out Of the way Of
everything. They know nothing about
pulitical events, Notwithstanding they
~ about them at table; for them
ages In the government are matters
13ch take place ct such o distance, that
they can only be spoken Of As historical
facts-hke the death Of Louis XVI, or the
disembarking of Napoleon.
The S~avignols married their daughter
Berthe at the age Of 10. She married O
young man from Paris, named Georges
Baron, who was connected with the Ex-
change. He was q handsome fellow,
talked well, had an exterior manner in all
respects calculated to inspire confidence;
but within himself, he made fun OF his old
fashioned parents-in-law, whom he spoke
Of to his friends a. my dear fossils"
He belonged to q good family; and his
young wife was rich. He took her to
Paris to live.
Then she became one of that peculiar
provincial class so numerous In the me
tropolis. She remained totally ignorant
Of the great city-ignorant Of its fashion
80AS oIAJt " ehsh ~ vey1'
Just as she had always remained ignorant
Of life and its perfdies and its mysteries.
Always shut up in her own household,
she knew little Of any street except her
own, and II she ever ventured into another
quarter it seemed to her like a long voyage
to some foreign and unfamiliar city. She
would say, in the evening:
al crossed the b~oulevards today"
Two or three times q year her husband
took her to the theatre. These rare
amusements were great events for her,
which she never forgot the impression of,
and was always talking about.
Sometimes three months afterward she
would suddenly burst out laughing at
table, and cry out:
Don't you remember that actor in the
generals uniform who crowed like q
cocky'
All her acc uaintances were limited to
two families Instantly related to her own,
and these two families represented all she
knew Of humanity. She always spoke Of
them as the Martinets" and ''the
Michelipts."
Her husband lived as he pleased,
coming home just when it suited him,
sometimes at daylight, always with the
pretext Of having been very busy; never
bothering himself much, however, to find
excuses, 80 certain did he feel that no sus-
picion could ever enter the candid mind Of
his wife.
But n morning she received an anony-
nous letter.
struck, being 20 upright Of heart to COM
prehend the infamy OF denunciations, TO
despise the missiye whose author pretend
ed to be inspired by q wish for her happi-
ness, by the hatred Of evil, and by the
love of truth.
II was thus revealed to her that her
husband had for two years been intimate
with a young widow, Nine. Rosset, and
used to pass all his evenings with her.
She did not know how to dissimulate,
or to feign, or TO spy, or to lay plans.
When he came home TO breakfast, she
simply threw down the letter before him,
and fed sobbing to her room. He had
ample time to understand, to prepare his
answer; and, having done 50, he went
and knocked at his wife's door. She
opened it at once, with her eyes down,
not daring to look at him. He smiled,
sat down, took her on his lap; and then In
o gentle, half mischievous tone, he said:
my little darling, il is true that
Nine. Rosset is a friend Of mine; ! have
known her for ten years and think very
highly Of her; and ! may also tell you
that ! know twenty other families whom
I.have never talked TO you ~about-simply
because / know YOU don't care about So
ciety and receptions and introductions,
and all that sort Of thing. But now, in
order to make an end OF all these infa.
nous denunciations, l beg you will ba
good enough to dress yourself immediate
ly after breakfast, and let us make a visit
together to this young lady; am sure
you will become good friends right of. -
She Rugged and kissed her husband;
and, moved by that feminine curiosity
which, once aroused, is not easily put Ia
eleep again, she did not even refuse to pay
q visit to this unknown woman, of whom
she could not help still feeling a little
suspicious. She felt instinctiyely that q
danger, once known, is half averted.
She entered q pretty little room-full Of
charming oddities, decorated with art-on
the fourth floor Of a fine house. After
five minutes waiting in q drawing room
Swallowed by bangings, draperies and cur
tains gracefully arranged, n door opened,
and q young woman appeared-very dark,
small, a little inclined TO be stout-who
smiled and looked surprised.
Georges introduced them to each other
my wife, Mime. Julie Rosset."
The young widow uttered q little cry OF
establishment and joy, and rushed forward
holding out both her hands. She had
never hoped, she said, for such good for.
tune, knowing that madame never re.
ceived visitors; but she was so happy, 50
delighted! She was so fond Of Georges
tshe cnlled Georges with sisterly familiar.
ityl that she had always been just crazy
to know his little wife, and to be fond Of
her, too.
Before a month was over the two women
had become insepnrable friends. They saw
each other every day, often twice "A day,
and dined together every evening, some
times ct one house, sometimes at the
other. Georges now did not absent him
self from home any more-Cecided his
business no longer occupied all his time.
and saying that he loved to sit by his own
hearth.
Finally, some apartments being vacant
in the house occupied by Nine. Rosset,
Mime. Baron at once rented them, so as Il
be nearer her friend, and more often with
her.
And for two whole years there followed
q cloudlesl friendship friendship o
heart and soul-absolute, tender, sci
sacrificing, delicious. Berthe could scarcely
open her mouth without pronouncing tn
name Of Julie, who, to her mind, repre-
scented perfection itself
She lived 10 happiness-a perfect, quiet
gentle happiness.
But all Of q sudden Nine. Rosset be